Headrest for medical practice chairs



Sept. 30, 1952 N. E. LAUTERBACH 2,612,212

HEADREST FOR MEDICAL PRACTICE CHAIRS Original Filed July 2 1946 4 Sheeis-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

Norma/2 5 Z uzerbaC/z W Sept. 30, 1952 N. E. LAUTERBACH 2,612,212

HEADREST FOR MEDICAL PRACTICE CHAIRS Original Filed July 2, 1946 I 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 N 3% O o Q INVENTOR. *0 0 Nor/mail z/ferbach f/zls Azzomeg Sept. 30, 1952 N. E. LAUTERBACH 2,612,212

HEADREST FOR MEDICAL PRACTICE CHAIRS Original Filed July 2, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN V EN TOR. N0 rma/z 5 azlzerbaclz Sept. 30, 1952 N. E. LAUTERBACH 2,612,212

HEADREST FOR MEDICAL PRACTICE CHAIRS Original Filed July 2, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. Norman E. Laterbach fits Attorney Patented Sept. 30, 1952 HEADREST FOR MEDICAL PRACTICE CHAIRS Norman E. Lauterbach, Newark,

7 Inc., Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware 1 July 2, 1946, Serial No.

to Ritter Company,

Original application 680,983. Divided and t 1, 1949, Serial No. 119,0

i Claims.

This invention relates to head rests for chairs a of the variety adapted for use by the medical profession during examinations, treatments and minor operations, one object of the invention being to provide an improved head rest having a more adaptable, convenient and efficient construction.

Another object is to provide a chair of the above character having head, back, arm, and foot rests adjustable to and'from position lying substantially in the plane of the chair seat, for converting the'chair into a substantially fiat, table-like support.

Another object is the provision of a chair having a head rest adapted to be selectively positioned to afford either the usual, head pads, or substantially flat rigid surfaces for supporting the head and neck of a patient against sagging during administrations of an anaesthetic. A

further and more specific object is to provide a head rest having means for automatically locking the flat head supporting surfaces in position for use.

This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 680,983, filed July 2, 1946, now Patent No. 2,558,143, granted June 26, 1951, Medical Practice Chair, to which reference may be had for part disclosed but not claimed herein.

To these and other ends the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a chair embodying the present invention and arranged to support a patient in upright sitting position;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same with parts of the seat broken away and arranged to support a patient in a substantially horizontal position;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the head rest detached, with its flat surfaces in one head supporting position;

Fig. 4 is a rear view of the same with its flat surfaces in the above supporting position;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the head rest with its fiat surfaces locked in supporting position;

Fig. 6 is a similar view with the head pads in supporting position;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional elevation substantially on the line -20 in Fig. 6, and

Fig. 8 is a sectional plan view substantiallyon the line 2 l2l in Fig. '7.

The present invention is shown as applied to a medical practice chair having a seat &9 (Fig. l),

N. Y., assignor his application October .96

to the back of which is pivoted at a post 5|. Slidably adjustable on post 5i is a back rest frame 52 having its upper end pivotally connected with the rear end of arm rest frames 53. These frames have their forward ends pivoted to the sides of the seat frame 49 andcontrol the slidin of the back rest frame 52 as it is tilted rearwardly toward a horizontal position under control of counterbalancing'springs on the seat frame and locking means operated by lever 54. The rear side of frame 52 carries an adjustable slide 55, the upper end of which is provided with a depending arm 5t which supports the back rest pad 51. Slide 55 carries an adjustable, auxiliary slide 58 for supporting the head rest.

The present head rest comprises, in addition to the slide 58, a swiveling head 59, Figs. 1, 3 and 4, supporting at its upper end the shank bar 50 of a yoke ti. The head 59 has a swiveling connection at opposite ends with the parts 58 and 60, respec tively, and includes means operated by a handle 62, for clamping such parts in adjusted position.

Yoke 6| has threaded openings in its ends for the reception of threaded studs 63, Figs-3 to 8, inclusive, locked in adjusted position by nutsxfi l'. Studs 63, extending inwardly of the yoke have reduced portions (Fig. 8) and terminate in enlarged heads 66 for the purpose hereafter de scribed. Within the outer yoke 5| isan inner yoke 67 having openings in its ends for the reception' of the inner ends of the studs 53 on which the inner yoke is pivoted. Each end of the inner yoke is formed with a bearing openin 68, Fig. 7, extending transversely of the studs 63, for the reception of opposed trunnions 69 carried by spaced arms 70 on head rest members H. Trunnions 65 have portions rotatably fitted in opening 68 of the inner yoke,- the outer ends of the trunnions being squared and fitting in square openings in arms Hi so that pivotal adjustment of the head rest members 1! is accomplished by turning the trunnions in their bearings 68 of the inner yoke. The trunnions are formed at their inner ends with eccentrics '72 positioned in the reduced portion 65 of stud 63, and adapted, on rotation, to

bear against head (it of the stud, for clamping the parts in position, as hereafter described.

Each head rest member H comprises the usual cupped circular head pad 73 and also a substantially plane-shaped portion 14 having a substantially flat surface F5 for supporting the head'of the patient in certain examinations hereafter referred to. It is evident from the above construction that the pads 13 of members ll may be rotated to head supporting position, as shown in member is thus released Fig. 6, during which movement the eccentrics 12 tend to press studs 63 outwardly while reacting inwardly upon the ends of the inner yoke, thus relieving any binding pressure on the pivotal parts of the inner yoke, and ofhead rest member's H. The pad portion of the head rest for movement freely to position to accommodate the head of the patient; On the other hand, as each head rest member is swung to position its flat surface 15in supporting position, as shown in Fig. 5, its stud eccentries 12 bear inwardly on the inner head 66.01.

the stud 63, while reacting against the-bearing.

in the end of the inner yoke, thereby drawing the ends of the inner and outer yokes into clamping engagement with each other and at thesame time clamping the trunnions' 69 of the head rest:

member I I, so that the latter and the inner yoke 61 are automatically clamped in position. The inner yoke may be adjusted at flat headsupporting surfaces- 15- may be arranged tolie substantially in. the planeof the back rest'in 1 the horizontal positionof the latter,

as shown-in Fig- 2 in which theseparts and the the--face;-orthe side orback of the patientshead maybe rested during examination so as. to preventsagging of the patients neck, as. desirable during administration of anaesthetics.

The invention supplies an improved and. ad.- vantageous arrangement of; back and arm rests relative to the seat frame which produces: an anatomically correct compensating. hinge movement of the back and head rests, thus properly accommodating the movements of the back. and head rests to-'the movements of the patients body and so contributing materially to the patientscomfort. Such movement of the back and head rests is conveniently controlled.v by a locking lever uniformly positioned in-rearof the back rest, 'so that theseparts may be easily tilted tolie substantially in the plane-of'the chair seat, with. springmeans for counterbalan'cing the weight of the patient and chair partsduring such movement.-

it will thus be seen that the invention accomplishes its objects andwhile it has been herein disclosed by reference to the details of a. preferred. embodiment, it is to be understood that.

such disclosure is intended in an illustrative, rather than a limiting sense,-as it' is contemplated that various modifications in the construction and arrangement of the parts will readily-occur a desired angle tothe outer yoke, before being clamped,.and=the to those skilled in the art, within the spirit of the invention and claims.

I claim:

lvAheadr-estior a chaircharacterized by a support, a=pair oi cup-shaped elements for sup porting a, patients head, a pair of substantially flat head supporting elements, and means for adjustably mounting both pairs of said elements concomitantly on said support for selective pivotal movement of either pair thereof to head supporting position.

head rest according to claim 1, characterized by two members each carrying respectively one of said cup-shaped and flat head supporting elements; said. members being pivotally mounted on'sali'd support;

3'. A head rest according to claim 2, characterized: by an outer supporting yoke, an inner supporting yoke mounted in said outer yoke for pivotalmovementabout one axis, said two memhere being mounted on. said. inner yoke for pivotalmovementtliereonabout another axis, and means: actuated by pivotal. movement of said members to. apredetermined position on said inner yoke for automatically clamping said members and said inner yoke against movement about said. axes,. respectively.

4. A. head rest according to claim 3, character-ized' b'ytrunnions on one ofi'saidyokes on which the otherof said'lyokes' is mounted for pivotal movementand by a stud onleach of said members rotatably mounted on said. inner yoke and formed with an eccentric portioniengaging one of saidtrunnions', respectively, said eccentric portions being arranged for thrusting engagement with saiditrunnion'si toshift the same longitudinallyjandfclamp' saidlinne'r yoke and said members against movement when located with said flat elements inhead supporting position.

NORMAN E; LAUTERBACH.

RE-IEERENGES' CITED The following. references are of record inthe fileof this patent:

UNITED" STATES PATENTS the scope of the appended 

